If you love coffee, you’ve probably tried many types of coffee. The coffee you get from different coffee beans differs in terms of flavor and aroma.
It’s satisfying to discover these flavors and explore various coffee beverages. But have you ever thought of influencing the taste of your coffee by adding spices?
You can use spices to add flavor to coffee, not only for taste purposes but also for your health. A good option is cinnamon sticks.
These are hollow rolls of tree bark harvested from the Cinnamomum Cassia tree that are brownish in color. They have an enticingly spicy, earthy, woody flavor that’s warm and comforting.
Historians attribute the discovery of cinnamon as a spice and medicine to ancient Chinese healers who used it to make traditional Chinese medicine.
Cinnamon sticks have also been used for years to spice beverages such as cider, wine, tea, and eggnog. They are popularly used in coffee brewing due to the many benefits that cinnamon is associated with.
Benefits of Using Cinnamon Sticks in Coffee
Cinnamon is a sweet spice that can improve the taste of your coffee beverage. It is a perfect addition to coffee during cold weather due to its warming effect. Other beneficial properties of cinnamon are;
1. Its antioxidant properties
Cinnamon contains many antioxidants that can heal the body, especially for people who have Diabetes and High Blood Pressure.
Experts claim the antioxidants in cinnamon are similar to those in blueberries which are great for fighting free-radical damage in the body and maintaining optimum health.
2. Its pleasant flavor notes
Cinnamon sticks impart a sweet taste to coffee that most people prefer over sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Adding cinnamon sticks to coffee instead of sugar can help you lower your calorie intake and enhance your body’s ability to manage insulin effectively.
You can reduce inflammation by taking cinnamon-flavored coffee, especially in your joints. It also reduces food cravings due to its ability to control insulin levels.
If the sugar you take in your coffee is becoming a problem, adding a cinnamon stick to it is one of the best ways to reduce your sugar intake.
3. Its Vitamins and Minerals
You can add vitamins and minerals to your coffee by using cinnamon sticks. They contain calcium, manganese, iron, and vitamin K that can boost your immunity, preventing and strengthening you against allergies, sore throat infections, and sinus issues.
Infusing coffee with cinnamon is much better than flavoring your coffee with processed syrups and additives that add no health value to your coffee beverage.
4. It’s Stimulating Aroma
Cinnamon sticks can enhance the fragrance of your cup of coffee and boost your brain functions.
Scientific research has proven that a whiff of cinnamon can improve your brain’s ability to process information adding to coffee’s ability to stimulate and energize our minds.
The next time you need an energizing mental kick, try adding cinnamon to your coffee. The combined action of cinnamon’s stimulating effect and that of caffeine will brighten your mood and mind.
How to Use Cinnamon Sticks in Coffee
Coffee flavored with cinnamon sticks has a warm and woody fragrance that reminds most people of Autumn. Cinnamon is especially great for improving the taste of strong or bitter coffee.
There are two types of cinnamon sticks that you can use to spice your coffee. These are Cassia cinnamon and Ceylon cinnamon.
Although Indonesian Cassia cinnamon is the most popular type of cinnamon, Ceylon is considered a better option by some due to its pliability.
You can expect great flavor from whichever type of cinnamon you add to your coffee due to its cinnamaldehyde content.
Cinnamaldehyde is an oil with antimicrobial properties that contributes to cinnamon’s health properties.
Infusing coffee with cinnamon sticks is as easy as dipping them in a hot cup of coffee. Using these spice sticks is simpler than adding ground cinnamon to coffee because you don’t have to deal with clumps of cinnamon powder in your brew.
You can also use cinnamon sticks in the brewing process. Just crack them into two and add them to your coffee grounds when filling the filter.
Cinnamon sticks also give cold brew coffee a pleasant flavor. All you have to do is break them in half and add them to a jar of water and coffee grounds when preparing your cold brew mix.
You don’t have to use cinnamon sticks only in black coffee. They also make milk-based coffee drinks taste amazing.
Some examples of milky coffee beverages you can make with cinnamon sticks are cafe mocha and caffe latte. You can also use cinnamon as a garnish in dessert coffee drinks with milk or whipped cream.
Factors to Keep in Mind When Infusing Coffee With Cinnamon Sticks
Although adding cinnamon sticks to coffee is easy, there are some tips you can use to make your cinnamon-infused coffee taste as good as possible.
Start by choosing the right coffee beans to brew your coffee. Medium to dark coffee beans brew the best coffee for infusing with cinnamon sticks. The spice softens the bold flavors released by these beans resulting in a well-rounded brew.
If you like your coffee strong, consider using more grounds when brewing it because cinnamon can weaken the taste of coffee.
You should add cinnamon sticks to your coffee based on how spicy you like your food. Two cinnamon sticks are best if you want a strong flavor, while a single one is best if you are not a fan of strong spicy flavors.
Infusing coffee with cinnamon doesn’t prevent you from adding other ingredients to make your coffee taste great. You can add milk, creamer, sugar, whipped cream, and other additives to cinnamon-flavored coffee.
Don’t be surprised if you don’t need to use much of these additives to make your coffee taste good because cinnamon greatly enhances the taste of coffee.
Note that cinnamon sticks do not lose their flavor after one infusion. So, rinse them with clean water and dry them for future use, only throwing them away when their aroma and flavor has dissipated.
Cinnamon sticks also make excellent coffee stirrers. Use them whenever you are stirring creamer or sugar into your coffee for a fun coffee-drinking experience.
Conclusion
Now you have a spice that you can try in your coffee. Cinnamon sticks smell good, look enticing, and can add value to any coffee beverage.
Using cinnamon is a great way to improve your health. It is a keto-friendly, diabetic-friendly, and diet-friendly spice to use.
Try adding a cinnamon stick or two to your coffee the next time you brew a cup of coffee. You might enjoy it and end up using cinnamon in all your coffee beverages.
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